Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo (9) motions to the sidelines during the first quarter of the game against the New York Giants at AT&T Stadium. / Tim Heitman, USA TODAY Sports

by Lindsay H. Jones, USA TODAY Sports

by Lindsay H. Jones, USA TODAY Sports

ARLINGTON, Tex. â?? Eli Manning started and ended his first game of the season with interceptions as the Dallas Cowboys beat Manning's Giants 36-31 Sunday night at AT&T Stadium.

The Cowboys forced the Giants into six turnovers Sunday, tied for the most ever by a Giants team coached by Tom Coughlin, including three interceptions by Manning, a pair of fumbles from starting running back David Wilson, one of which was returned for a Dallas touchdown, and a muffed punt.

Each of New York's first three drives ended in a turnover, starting with a poorly executed screen play on the first play of the game that ended up in the arms of DeMarcus Ware and nowhere near Wilson, the intended receiver.

Consider it a big win for a Cowboys team that had suffered four consecutive home losses to the Giants, but maybe an even bigger statement for the revamped Dallas defense under Kiffin, who was hired in January to help fix the Cowboys' futility at forcing turnovers under Rob Ryan. Only three teams had fewer than Dallas' 16 total takeaways last year, and no team had fewer interceptions than Dallas, which had seven.

Though learning and practicing and repeating the techniques needed to force turnovers was the focus of the Cowboys' defense in the preseason, to have it happen over and over and over in the first game of the season was even more than the Cowboys could have hoped for.

"Turnovers come in bunches, so we'll take them all," safety Barry Church said.

Despite the Giants' early turnover troubles, the Cowboys held only a 30-24 lead at the two-minute warning, and Manning had just completed a 26-yard third-down pass to get to midfield, setting up what could have been Manning's 25th fourth-quarter comeback.

On the first play after the two-minute warning, Manning attempted another screen pass, this one to backup running back Da'Rel Scott. The pass ricocheted off Scott's arm and into the arms of cornerback Brandon Carr, who easily outran Manning 49 yards to the end zone.

"It is a terrible feeling, seeing that, and then taking it back for a touchdown," receiver Victor Cruz, who caught three touchdowns earlier in the game, said. "It hurt a lot. We had a chance to win. Just choked."

Romo, who threw an interception left the game for one snap late in the second quarter after being hit by Giants' defensive ends Mathias Kiwanuka and Justin Trattou. He was seen wincing as he sat on the bench and grimaced as he walked with his teammates into the locker room. Cowboys fans, more than 85,000 of them at the home opener, likely feared the worst about the quarterback who received a $108 million contract extension in March.

Initial tests revealed that Romo merely had the wind knocked out of him, the Cowboys said. He wore a heavy flak jacket under his jersey in the second half, when he threw his second touchdown to tight end Jason Witten. It was the first time Romo and Witten had ever connected for two touchdown passes in one game.

Romo completed 36 of his 49 passing attempts for 263 yards.

Manning threw four touchdowns, including three to Victor Cruz, and passed for 450 yards, but the turnovers were too costly.

"It was a total disregard and carelessness with the ball, and a lack of understanding of that's how you lose," Coughlin said.